Apple accused of stealing iPad design from China

Apple, a company renowned for its product designs, has apparently fallen short with the iPad. Maybe Steve Jobs was tired of coming up with new ideas as apparently he stole the iPad design.

That 9.7″ display surrounded by a black and silver casing had already been used in a tablet PC design by Chinese manufacturer Shenzhen Great Loong Brother Industrial. It is claiming the iPad copies the design of its own PC-GPS-P88 tablet introduced last year.

Xiaolong Wu, president of Shenzhen said:

I was very angry and flabbergasted two days ago when I saw the news of the iPad presentation. It is certainly our design. They’ve stolen [it] because we presented our P88 more than six months ago at the IFA (International Electronics Fair in Berlin). We are considering legal action, but we can not do much in the United States. But if Apple brings the iPad to China, we will be forced to [sue] them, because it will certainly affect our sales.

The claim does fall short in a number of areas, though. Here’s a few differences between the two devices:

iPad display: 9.7″
P88 display: 10.2″

iPad thickness: 13.4mm
P88 thickness: 22mm

iPad battery life: 10 hours+
P88 battery life: 1.5 hours

iPad price: from $499
P88 price: $535

Shenzhen may go ahead with legal action against Apple, but that would only really be of any use if Apple decide to release the iPad in China. Even then, the claim seems more than a little shaky.

The fact of the matter is, most tablet PCs are going to look the same. The form factor dictates you need a slim device that is flat with as little casing as possible. The only ways to differentiate are by the color of the case, thickness of the device, and the name printed on the tablet.

Shenzhen’s claim just would not stand up in court. The devices do look quite different as you can see in the image above; and you couldn’t get them confused even from distance. To me it sounds more like Shenzhen trying to catch some free marketing off the back of iPad.

The P88 looks to be a heavy, battery draining, Windows-based tablet that needs an update. Apple has nothing to worry about either legally or commercially.

Speak Your Mind

saif

Looks like some one has stolen the design from the iPhone :-P shame on you Apple!

Esoom Yale

What rediculous claims. What other design could there possibly be for a pad like device ? There’s no copying here, just designs that are logical. These pad-device designs were first dreamt up decades ago – long before any real devices appeared.